Shipping container, support and advertisement unit



7, 1957 J. H. ESSICK 2,804,199

SHIPPING CONTAINER, SUPPORT AND ADVERTISEMENT UNIT 1 Filed Sept. 13, 1954 g2 4 g age 18, 1 1 i k I I I I EVAPO ATIVE AIR COOLER I h I VENTOR. Jmsfl. 54;

BY W/WZW Z SHIPPING CONTAINER, SUPPORT AND ADVERTISER [HINT UNIT Application September 13, 1954, Serial No. 455,382

1 Claim. (Cl. 206-44) This invention relates to a shipping container and advertisement unit and is particularly concerned with a box structure that is useful as an advertising poster when the merchandise shipped therein has been removed, it being a general object of this invention to provide a simple and inexpensive shipping unit useful to retailers, or the like, in merchandising and promoting sales of the goods shipped in the unit.

This application is copending with my applications for Letters Patent Serial No. 455,381 entitled, Shipping Container and Poster Unit, and Serial No. 455,383 entitled, Shipping Container and Display Unit, both filed on an even date herewith.

The manufacturing, shipping and retailing of articles of manufacture, such as stoves, refrigerators, washing machines, radio and television sets and air conditioners, etc., are all extremely competitive operations and advertising is an important and costly item of expense. it is highly desirable to print advertising media on one or more faces of a shipping container or box, and it is also extremely effective to provide posters to be used by the retailer in show rooms and in display windows, etc. Ordinarily a shipping container or box is useless after it has been used for transporting purposes and advertising posters and the like must be furnished separately at considerable expense. Therefore, I have provided a shipping container and poster unit useful both for transporting the merchandise and in advertising the merchandise at little or no extra cost.

It is an object of this invention to provide a shipping container and poster unit useful both for transporting and for advertisement purposes, which unit is extremely effective for both purposes, particularly for advertising by presenting and selling of the product concerned.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a shipping unit of the character referred to which makes into an extremely simple and inexpensive media of advertising manufactured goods shipped therein, all without added expense.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a unit of the character referred to which eliminates waste of material used in a container by making the material of the container useful as an advertising poster, or the like.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a shipping container that is adapted to be reformed or reshaped into a double or two sided poster. By the present invention the two sides are coupled together by a supporting structure reformed or reshaped from the material of the original shipping container.

Another object of the invention is to provide a shipping container of the character referred to with lines of demarkation that show and instruct a person handling a product shipped in the container how to treat and manipulate the panels of the container so as to form an advertising poster, or the like.

The various objects and features of my invention will be fully understood from the following detailed descrip- Sttes Patent tion of a typical preferred form and application of my invention, throughout which description reference is made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the shipping container of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a typical unit of merchandise adapted to be shipped or transported in the container shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the poster of the present invention after it has been formed and shaped from the container shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. Fig. 4 is a flat pattern of the sheet of material used both as a container and a poster. Fig. 5 is an end view of the poster taken as indicated by line 55 in Fig. 3, and Fig. 6 is a sectional View taken as indicated by line 66 on Fig. 5.

The shipping container and advertisement unit of the present invention is particularly useful in the shipping and selling of products of manufacture, such as evaporative coolers or air conditioners and, therefore, I have illustrated it in that connection throughout the drawings and description. However, it is to be understood that such application of the invention does not in any way limit the scope or utility thereof.

As shown, the container and poster unit that I have provided is, firstly, usable as a shipping container S and is, secondly, usable as a poster P. As indicated, the evaporative cooler X is a sizeable and weighty unit decoratively finished with the desired surface ornamentation and requires protection from foreign objects and substances, and from heat and light. The particular evaporative cooler X that I have shown is elongate and rectangular in configuration and has fiat sides 10 in the form of panels that include louvers and air handling openings, etc.

The shipping container S is an elongate box-shaped structure adapted to receive and house the evaporative cooler X, or the like, and involves a plurality of side panels 11, end panels 11, and top and bottom panels 12 and 13, respectively. As illustrated in Fig. 4 of the drawings, the side panels 11 and end panels 11 may be formed integrally of a single sheet or length of material 14, such as corrugated cardboard, while the top 12 and bottom 13 are separate elements of similar material that are applied to the sides at the top and bottom margins thereof.

The sheet of material 14 when in fiat pattern is rectangular in plan configuration, having spaced parallel edges, there being upper and lower edges 15 and 16 and end edges 17. The upper and lower marginal portions of the sheet 14 are defined by lines of scoring or weakening 18 and 19 that are parallel to the edges 15 and 16. Thus, the marginal portions may be folded from the plane of the sheet 14 to form tabs 20 and 21. Also, one of the end portions of the sheet 14 is defined by a line of scoring or weakening 22 so that the marginal portion may be folded from the plane of the sheet 14 to form a tab 23.

In order to define four separate panels, lines of scoring or weakening 24 extend transversely of the sheet 14 between the lines 18 and 19. The lines 24 are parallel with each other and with the line 22 occur at the corners of the shipping container S when the sheet 14 is folded and assembled as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The tabs 20 and 21 are ultimately disposed in a plane normal to the side panelsli and end panels 11 and, therefore, notches or openings 25 are provided at the ends of the lines 22 and 24 so that the panels 11 and '11 can be folded relative to each other with the end portions of the tabs 20 and 21 overlapped. 7

In order to form a shipping container S, the tab-23 is brought into overlapping engagement with the opposite end portion of the sheet 14 and secured thereto in any suitable manner as by glueing or stapling; The individual panels are then formed by. bending or foldingthe which are folded in a plane normal to the side panels.

At this stage of assembly the evaporative cooler X may be put into the container S, whereupon the top 12 may i then be applied in the same manner as the bottom 13. The top 12 and bottom 13 may be secured to the tabs and 21 as by glueing or stapling; It is to be understood that there are various manners of utilizing the tabs 20 and 21 and of applying the top 12 and bottom 13.

In accordance with the present invention two of the side panels 11 are selected as front and back panels 29 and 30, respectively, while the remaining end panels are selected as instruction panels 31. As shown, there are two relatively short advertising panels 29 and 30, and two relatively long panels 31 that occur between the panels 29 and when the container is assembled. As clearly illustrated in Fig. 4 of the drawings, the advertising panels and instruction panels are arranged in an alternate series extending longitudinally of the sheet 14.

The front and back panels 29 and 30 are flat rectangular sections of the sheet 14 defined by the lines 18, 19and 24, and are alike and may be provided with suitable advertising media 32 as clearly illustrated throughout the drawings. The advertising media 32 is carefully prepared and relates to the manufactured article to be shipped in the container S. Since the advertising media is selected and applied by the manufacturer, this means of advertisement is advantageous to the manufacturer'in that he can control the advertising and present his article in any particular manner which he desires.

The instruction panels 31 are also flat rectangular sec.- tions of the sheet 14 defined by the lines 18, Hand 24 and may be provided with the ususal shipping instructions which are ordinarily required and as clearly illustrated throughout the drawings. For example, the instruction panel 31 may include printed handling instructions and warnings, etc.

In Fig. 4 of'the drawings, I have illustrated lines of demarkation 40 that are provided bythe present invention,

each other as they extend inwardly from the upper and lower lines 18 and 19. Thus, the line 46 is of limited vertical extent and is located substantially midway between the top and bottom of the sheet 14.

The link is a fiat section of the sheet 14 that adjoins and extends between the inner ends of the legs 44. The link 45 isof limited lateral extent and is defined by the lines 46 of the two legs 44 that form the coupler 41.

When the lines 42 and 43 converge to form a triangular leg 44 the link 45 is'necessarily of limited vertical extent as clearly illustrated in the drawings. link 45 has upper and lower edges 47 and 48 which are v substantially horizontally disposed so that the link is making the shipping container S useful for additional purposes. As shown in Fig. 3, the shipping container S is usable as a two sided poster P by reforming or reshaping the sheet 14 in conformance with the lines of demarkation 40. The lines of demarkation 40 may be simple printed lines or may be lines of scoring or weakening, and are provided on the instructionpanels 31 so that the, panels 31 are convertibleinto a support R for the front and'back panels 29 and 30. v,

The supportR involves two like opposite couplers 41 formed or shaped from the two instruction panels 31 between the front and back panels 29 and 30, which couplers 41 are defined by the lines of demarkation' 40, there being'upper and lower trim lines 42' and 43. The trim lines 42 and 43 extend between thelines, 2'4' tl1at define the instruction panels 31 so that the lines 42. and 43 extend between the two advertising panels 29and' 30.

It is a feature of this invention that I have provided two like couplers 41 that are defined by the lines of demarkation 40 so that they are adapted to be reformed or reshaped from the instruction panels 31 occurring intermediate advertising panels .29 and 30. Each coupler 41 involves outer legs. 44 and an intermediate section or link 45. The legs 44 adjoin and continuefrom the edges of the panels 29 and. 30 defined by the lines 24, while the link 45 occurs between and joins the legs 44.

There is a leg 44 joined to each of the panels 29 and 30 along the lines 24 and each leg 44' continues and' extends inwardly from a line'24 where it adjoins the panel. Each leg 44 terminates at a point laterally offset from the panel towhich it is joined. at a vertically disposed line 46. In the preferred form of the inventio'nl each leg 44 is triangular in configuration in which c'ase the upper and lower trim lines 42 and 43 converge toward relatively small in size and is rectangular in shape.

In Figs. 5 and 6 I have shown the poster P of the presentinvention as it is formed or shaped from the sheet 14 of the shipping container S. After the evaporative cooler X has been removed from the container S, the material 14 is parted'or severed along the lines 42 and 43 and also along the upper and lower lines 18 and 19 so that'the tabs 20 and 21 may be parted or severed from the sheet 14. At this stage of treatment the structureincludesthe oppositely faced front and back panels 29 and-30 and the coupler4l provided at each side of the unit for being fashioned into the support R. The lines 46 are fold lines while the lines 42. and 43 are lines of, parting or separation.

As shown in Figs. 3, S and 6 of the drawings, the legs 44adjacent the panels 29 and 30 are folded from a plane normal to the panels at the lines 24, and the links 45 of the two opposite couplers 41 are brought into engagement with each other. In practice, the links 45 may be secured'together in any suitable manner as by glueing or stapling, and when the links of the couplers 41 are fastened together the support R is formed which rigidly joins the two panels 29 and 30 so that their lower edges at 19are engaged with and supported by the ground or supporting. surface. When the links 45 are fastened together an X-shaped support R isformed that couples the panels 29 and 30 together so that they are spaced and parallel with each other and extend vertically upwardly from the supporting surface.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that I have provided a simple and useful shipping container and poster unit which is useful for both transporting and advertising an article of manufacture without additional cost or expense to either the manufacturer, wholesaler or retailer of the product. It will be apparent to the person using the shipping container that I have provided how it can be reformed or reshaped into the poster I by simplyobserving the lines of demarkation and the instructions as printed or formed in the instruction sides 3 1. of the sheet 14 which forms the unit.

Having. described only a typical preferred form and application of my invention, I do not wish to be limited or restricted to the specific details herein set forth, but wish to reserve tornyself any variations or modifications that may appear to those skilled in the art and fall within the scope of the following claim.

Having described'my invention, I claim:

A combination shipping container and advertisement blank of the character described, including, an elongate sheet of material having spaced transverse lines and spaced longitudinallines of scoring formed therein and defining a series of four rectangular panels with marginal tabs, there being alternate advertising and instruction panels, and lines of scoring formed in the instruction panels definingcouplers for reforming said panels into a support forthe said advertising panels, said lines of scoring including short, spaced transverse fold lines of 'scoringat the center portionof the panels, short longitudinal score lines connecting the ends-of said transverse [fold lines and vdiagonal score lines extending from the As shown, the

panel into like trapezoidal legs and a rectangular link extending between the legs, there being a leg adjoining each edge of the said advertising panels, the material forming the tabs being severable from the sheet of material along said longitudinal lines of scoring, the material bounded by said diagonal score lines and their associated short longitudinal score lines being severable from said instruction panels to permit folding said links back to back.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Weber Aug. 29, 1916 Young Nov. 19, 1929 Boeye Nov. 6, 1934 Feiss May 23, 1939 Scoble Jan. 9, 1951 

